EFI Expands its Productivity Suites to Facilitate Automated Business Travel

Friday, April 01, 2016

Press release from the issuing company

Editor's Note: Please see below for an important note about this press release.

FREMONT, Calif., April 1, 2016 – EFI™ has expanded the technical advantages of its industry-leading Productivity Suite workflow – the world’s top print production ERP system – in one of the company’s most ambitious product expansions to date. By establishing alliances with popular global hotel chains, EFI is expanding the Productivity Suites vision launched in 2015 and enthusiastically received by EFI customers to millions of frustrated business travelers around the world.

EFI’s product expansion – the new EFI Productivity Suites lodging offering – gives business travelers the best in end-to-end integration and automation, from wake-up calls, to complimentary breakfast, to automatically scheduled car service to and from airports and meetings using new tools that automatically capture executives’ calendar entries.

“Many of us at EFI travel a great deal and find it difficult to be productive,” said Guy Gecht, EFI’s CEO. “That’s what inspired us to extend our very successful Productivity Suite printing workflow concept to an entirely new level – with unique features like the ability to order breakfast at 3 am using our new Web-to-Suite application. Now business travelers, especially those who are anxious about business travel or suffer from jetlag, have the opportunity to take advantage of EFI’s many years of productivity and workflow expertise both inside and outside the office.”

In addition to its productivity offerings, EFI has worked with partner hotels to make the hotel stay experience even more comfortable by printing personalized draperies, bedding and upholstery using its EFI Reggiani textile printing technology, and custom flooring printed using EFI Cretaprint ceramic tile printing technology. “In many of the partner hotels,” Gecht added, “textiles and flooring in various themes will be stocked at the hotel and patrons can choose from a selection of relaxing or stimulating themes.”

In order to take advantage of the new, automated lodging workflow offering, travelers must book their hotel rooms through the EFI Productivity Suites reservation portal, a secure, cloud-based hub that drives core back-end functions, reducing the IT burden in physical Productivity Suites hotel sites. With the portal, users select the specific program modules that meet their needs, such as VIP airport transportation to minimize airport wait time, fast, automated room check-in, and automatic WiFi connections for up to 10 devices.

All of the Productivity Suites’ hotel modules have been fully tested by EFI road warriors and are guaranteed to work together for the world’s smoothest business travel workflow.

In addition to themed textiles, future service additions to EFI Productivity Suites hotels are also expected to include the ability to order customized window clings for hotel rooms. Window clings and textiles will be available together or separately for a small extra charge, making the hotel experience more comfortable and customized than ever before.

“I don’t know about everyone else, but I find I am much more productive while looking at my favorite view,” said EFI Vice President of Product Innovation Thomas Foolery. “Since EFI VUTEk® printers can quickly and affordably print window clings with stunning graphic quality, and our textile printing capabilities are unmatched, our users will feel right at home when they enter their hotel room. And since window clings are lightweight, users will also be able to dismount the clings and take them with them in their luggage. However, we do discourage them from taking the bedding with them.”